


The Mobile Beacon

by Shatteeran



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Allison is in over her head, Allison-centric, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Rock Band, Drummer!Scott, Eventual Allison Argent/Isaac Lahey/Scott McCall - Freeform, F/M, First Meetings, Or Country more like, Pre-Relationship, Real hard, Singer!Isaac, Sterek if you squint, Stiles knows cool places, Though it's more Indie than Rock, scisaac if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-19
Updated: 2016-07-19
Packaged: 2018-07-25 11:05:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7530217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shatteeran/pseuds/Shatteeran
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A girl walks into a bar... and falls in love with the place. Twice.<br/>Or rather... with Isaac, then with Scott.</p>
<p>Or the one where Allison follows Stiles inside a dingy bar and unexpectedly lets Isaac's and Scott's music reach her heart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Mobile Beacon

**Author's Note:**

> First work in this fandom, so please be kind.  
> And I honestly never thought these would be my first pairings. Funny how life is.
> 
> I know nothing much happens in this; I just tried to describe the feelings and thoughts Allison is going through. So please let me know if you liked it or if it's terrible (or both! Definitely both!) xD

They were about to go home. Walking faster to escape the wind which was picking up unexpectedly. The summer had not quite settled in New York City. Or maybe they were rushing through the streets because there was nothing Stiles could do at a normal pace. _He even sleeps with precipitation, wakes up sweaty and short-breathed, his rest plagued by nightmares like they all had since Claudia had begged him to let her live._ Allison followed him without complaining, putting her abilities to good use as she zigzagged amongst the crowd. Who would have thought running tracks could be so handy? _Well, aside from getting accepted into MIT._ If anything, but she would never tell his friend, Stiles seemed to be the one in need of a break.

He stopped abruptly, his shoulders and chest hunched forward, as if the top of his body had not quite gotten the information yet.

"Ally! It's open! That's the place I wanted to us to go to earlier, but thought was close or something so we went to the beach bar instead, but now it's open and that's great and we cannot not go! So let's! Go, I mean. To the bar, now!", he shouted, flailing, before finally turning towards her. _I kind of wanted to go home._ Stiles recoiled like his friend's stare slapped him in the face. "I mean... If you want? We can not go. It would just be too bad because I have heard about this place before and I thought..."

She sighed. _He's insufferable._ She hid her smile heavenwards and set her foot on the first wooden red-painted step. "Yes! I told you: tonight, I follow you wherever you decide to take us. You're right. We need a break!" _If I ever see one of these books ever again, it will be too soon. Or tomorrow._ His companion grinned like a mad man, his usually thin lips stretching over his sharp jaw impossibly. He pumped his fist in the air and hurried inside, all the while passing his long fingers in his brown unruly hair, which now stuck up at an awkward angle. _Idiot!_ Allison decided to take her time to observe her surroundings before following him. The old stairs led to a small garden, organized but not exactly well-kept. _Like the owners don't leave here enough to bother with mowing the lawn._ The white plastic benches in the corners of the private area were clean, though tired by their outdoorsy life. On her right, she could count three... _no, four..._ metallic-green tables. Chairs of the same style were haphazardly arranged each table; all of them occupied by joyous yet quiet patrons, drinking - if the numerous bottles of various size and shape were anything to go by -, talking and laughing discreetly. Multicolor lightbulbs hung in the air between and around the trees and bound all the friendly circles in an complicit glow. _Stiles, where have you brought me?_

On the right, the small alley she had set foot on reached an old shabby trailer. Allison severely doubted that it could stil ride anywhere. But Stiles' plethora of information and the name of bar, The Mobile Beacon, indeed indicated otherwise. Entirely painted in red, except for its name written in black cursive letters, the trailer exuded warmth and light upon the guests outside and on the street. _Dingy, but inviting._ She readjusted her jeans vest on her hips and stuck a strand of her chocolate hair behind her ear. Throwing caution to the now blasting full force wind, she made her way to the few remaining steps and entered the bar. _Here goes nothing._ The singer was the first thing she noticed, though she already knew she would later narrate this story differently. Dirty blonde curls on top of an angelic face, eyes shyly cast downwards as he sang in a deep voice, lips so close to the microphone they were occasionally brushing, he was entirely focused on the guitar strings his fingers pinched and released. He wore simple black jeans, a tad worn off near the knees and ankles, and a red lumberjack shirt, his sleeves pulled up to the elbows. She then took in the other musician, sat on a stool on the side: he wore a similar outfit, except for the navy blue color of the squares on his shirt, and was drumming on three plastic pots. _Unexpected._

As if she was reducing the zoom on her vision, she noticed the arranged staged area - also made of wood planks -, upon which the band was currently playing at the bottom of the trailer. Mirrors and framed children drawings were facing one another on the wooden walls. _I wonder who drew this unicorn. Seems a bit too underground to be a good place to raise kids..._ A rather old Hi-Fi player was connected to the guitar and microphone in the background. Chairs and coffee tables of all types and forms filled the space between the scene and the door. _I don't think I can find even one pair of identical chairs in here..._ And they all looked occupied by twenty- and thirty-somethings, obviously immersed in the music. Allison looked at the singer again.

"Pretty cool, huh?", said Stiles' enthusiastic voice on her left. He was, in a very Stiles fashion, half-hunched, half-sprawled over a small counter, which really was made of one of these planks held by two iron sticks. And he was holding towards her a beer. She could not recognize the brand nor the bottle - _probably a cheap locally-brewed beer or summat, not that there is anything wrong with that -_ but she accepted graciously with a nod. The difference in temperature was fairly important and she had started to sweat a little. _Leave the singer out of it, Ally!_ She drank two greedy gulps before her taste buds got acclimated with the cold. _Pear aftertaste!_ Her pupils dilated in surprise and Stiles laughed in delight of her appreciation.His own grey eyes sparkled with happiness. He jerked his chin towards an empty seat right under the stage and turned his attention towards the music.

Allison was not sure that she wanted a place in the front row. V _isible, vulnerable._ She glanced at the counter, at the waitress who, energetic and silent, wiped the bar with so much speed that the ponytail of black silk hair on her head jiggled with a life of its own, at the fridge behind her, half-full of beer bottles, at the green plastic cases on the floor holding the empty bottles of the same brand, and made her decision. The wooden floor creaked under her feet as she made her way to the duo, unable to hide her fascination as she walked. _I feel ridiculous._ She discovered with a smile the ceiling, lit with the multicolor bulbs she had seen used as garlands outside of the trailer. The chair integrated a purple slim pillow and appeared to be comfortable enough, in spite of its ratty looks. She sat with relief, glad to be once more blending in. She finally started to relax when the singer caught her contentment and threw her a smile. It was meant to be a simple sign of acknowledgment, a discrete salute in the middle of the lyrics. _Oh my gosh!_ Perfect blue eyes fixated on her dull brown ones. The corner of his mouth twitched in amusement; from this angle, Allison found she could see his lips: plump yet as if drawn by the point of an ink feather, permanently ending in a smirk. _He is breathtaking._

The duo finished the song on a fast guitar riff. A couple of listeners snorted in amusement and soon joined the rest of the audience clapping warm-heartedly. The singer offered them a grin before introducing themselves.

"Thank you! This is Scott and I am Isaac and we are very happy to have you with us tonight because this is our first night ever playing in N.Y.C. This next song is called Homecoming."

They launched into the new melody right away and this time took Allison with them. She followed Isaac's voice and flew over fields of corn and thick mysterious forests, under caressing drizzles and shining full moons, near abandoned and dangerous shores, inside dark caverns and green canopes, near wild animals... _With him far from uni and exams and everything planned and reasonable and expected._ Allison blinked, truly feeling like she was dreaming and about to wake up. Everything in this strange mobile car invited to evasion, to forget the time passing, to peace. _Only Stiles could bring me to this kind of place._ She searched him in the crowd and found him where she had left him, trying to engage in a conversation the strong - and a bit scary - looking bearded bartender who had replaced their waitress. From the annoyed, pinched-lipped expression on the face of the man, Stiles was far from succeeding. On the stage, themusicians jumped into the chorus. From her place on the chair, Allison sat really close to the drummer - Scott. She redirected her attention on him, more to avoid looking so obviously smitten with Isaac than by actual curiosity.

The young man's eyebrows were furrowed with concentration, but he remained nonetheless quicker to smile than his bandmate. Pleasure was written all over his features as he mutedly sang along the lyrics, sometimes letting escape a couple of syllables out. He had dark round-shaped eyes and a soft look under a mop of black hair, a tanned skin, glistening with sweat and red, blue, green, yellow reflects raining from the ceiling. He also smiled at her, and his was as genuine as Isaac's grin had been mischievous. It showed his teeth a bit and Allison only now realized that Scott's jaw was crooked. _He is adorable._ With the round-shaped beats coming out of the pots, the ever-variating rhythm of his drumming, the entrancing dance the sticks choreographed as they bounced on the plastic surfaces, Scott spoke to her of nights spent driving on empty roads under the stars, of lazy snuggles on a blanket in a prairie under the afternoon's sun, of shared complicity of eating breakfast on slightly broken mugs and round plates, of quiet evenings of reading by the fireplace, of kisses in the open air... _Of tenderness and never-ending affection, of the loneliness only two lovers can share in bliss._

Allison let once more her gaze roam over the room, wondering if anyone else felt that same curious attraction towards the band. Stiles had claimed a stool and sat oblivious, with his elbows on the counter, turned away from the bartender, who despite his killer glare, seemed a bit lost with his hands hanging from his arms along his body, staring longingly at Stiles' long freckled neck. Though they all seemed to be watching with interest and enjoyment, none of the other patrons looked to be sharing her intimate confusion. She grabbed her beer, with the intent to clear her thoughts and regain some composure as her eyes went back to Isaac. Her lips and tongue found the bottle empty and, immediately relieved, she went to look for the alcohol percentage on the package. It read 4,2%. _This is all you, Ally._ But since they had persuaded her to travel so far out of her life and habits, she decided to stop caring and to appreciate the ride. _What could go wrong?_

"Okay, guys! We are going to play one more song and then we will take a short break and then we will be back. Oh! You can buy our CD. I think it has good songs on it and erm, it... helps with the tour. But you don't have to buy it. No pressure! Also, thank you again for being here tonight. You could be anywhere in the world. And yet... here we are! This one is called Imagination. Hope you enjoy it!"

He might or might not have been aware of the effect he had on her, but Isaac gave her another of his rare smiles; Allison's gaze plunged towards the wooden floor. _Smooth, Ally._ She was barely covering her blush when her head went back up to look at the stage; just in time for Scott's kind eyes to meet hers. He threw one of his happy grin into the mix; Allison breathed out loudly, a bit overwhelmed. _I need another beer._ _Maybe something stronger._ Yet she let the strummed chords and drum beats and soothing words carry her away. For some reason, she could clearly make out Scott's voice singing along in the choruses for this last song. She let herself believe the melodies pushed and pulled and drove the trailer on the roads, taking her far away, far away...

Stiles' buzzing energy as he plopped next to her on the small table, handing her another beer - _Thank you Stiles!_ -, brought her back to reality.

"Pretty neat, huh?", he asked, echoing his earlier question and Allison felt like they had entered the place days ago.

She nodded, at a loss for words. _But that's okay, he always has enough for two._ But his accomplice remained silent as well, eyes moving incessantly back and forth between the counter, where there was currently nothing - _or noone_ \- to be seen, and the scene, where the band was now sitting, their feet dangling from the stage, right in front of her. _Oh!_ _Mayday. Mayday. We need to leave this place and quick._ She took another gulp of her beer and smiled once more at the two boys. They responded in the same manner, then Allison watched Isaac's Adam's apple bob up and down as he drank from his own water bottle. He swiftly adjusted a grey scarf around his neck. No words came between them.

"Great job, guys! Your music is really good", Stiles offered from his place on her left.

"Thanks! Glad you liked it!", Scott responded amiably from his place right on her left. Allison kept staring at Isaac, who ducked his pretty face as soon as he heard the compliment. He was a lot more shy backstage than he was two minutes ago. She found it all the more endearing.

"Do you travel with all these pots around?", Stiles asked, getting livelier every second.

"No, sometimes we find a drum set, sometimes we improvise with whatever people can find before the concert", Scott explained, an amused expression tugging at his lips. "Until Derek uncovered these for us, we actually thought I was going to have to play like that." And he banged his chest like a gorilla, producing a "aaaah" rhythmic sound. Stiles burst out laughing.

"I thought you sounded really good", Allison intervened. _Even smoother, girl._

"Thank you", Isaac whispered, still not looking at any of them. Scott put a companionable hand on his shoulder, gave him one of his kind smile. _Or are they together?_ She felt a bit disappointed at the idea. _And turned on._

Meanwhile, Stiles had calmed down.

"Dude, this was awesome! You're great! I'm Stiles", he said, presenting his hand for them to shake.

"Scott", Scott replied, taking the proffered hand.

"You're great! Hey! I am going to get some beer for myself. Want one?"

"I'll wait until the concert is done for that. But soda sounds great! Lead the way."

_No, Stiles. Stay here. Or bring Scott back, at least._ The boys got up and crossed the small trailer to the counter, where Stiles instantly started to knock his fist against the counter repeatedly.

"So", Isaac started, as he slid on the stage to sit closer to her. "Did you like what you... heard?"

His false bravado was betrayed by the light tremble of his hands, but his trademark smirk was firmly in place on his tempting mouth and she was not about to call him up on it. Nonetheless, this promised to be easier, their discussion codified and progressing slowly as they would flirt. _Still flustered, but I can do this._

"I actually liked what I saw."

He blushed and she chalked it up as a win.

"I mean, both you and Scott are amazing musicians. It's really nice to be able to watch you play from up close. Especially because you seem to get so much please out of it."

He smiled then. An actual smile, not designed to throw assurance around or to seduce from afar. A timid smile, reaction to unexpected kindness shown towards him. She had a feeling Scott was usually the only one to be at the receiving end of those.

"Where are you from?", she asked, because it was easy and simple.

"Carolina, small town in Pennsylvania. Scott and I grew up there, in the forest."

"You guys have known each other for a long time."

"More or less all of our lives", Isaac concluded in a sigh, glancing at Stiles and Scott laughing out loud at the bar. Stiles had his arm tightly wrapped around Scott's shoulder.

She felt a pang of jealousy. Isaac's beautiful features were darkened by bad thoughts of his own.

"You're lucky", she tried. "A friendship like that is not common. I've only known Stiles since I moved to California as a sophomore and it feels like a long time already."

"I guess time goes slower when he's around, am I wrong?"

She giggled good-heartedly. _Come on! You're better than that._

_"_ How long have you been touring?"

"Actually, we started only six weeks ago. We will continue North from here, to Canada, then we will travel West and, if we can, then South towards California."

"Wow! That's ambitious."

"As long as we have enough money to keep going, you know", he said, his shyness once more coming through. "Would you like to come with us?", he asked, then, out of the blue.

_It's a joke. Of course it's a joke._ But Isaac's expression remained sincere and open, possibly a bit nervous. Stiles chose his timing to come back, once more jumping on the small table.

"Hey Ally! I'm knackered. Calling it a night! We can share a über if you want. Or you want to stay a bit longer, maybe?"

Allison considered the red trailer, the wood all around, Isaac's features strained into a particularly bad poker face, Scott's puppy eyes as he glanced at his bandmate, then at Stiles, then at her. She considered the mirrors, and the childish drawings framed like works of art, and the drum set made out of pots. She considered her place at the bottom of the factice stage, the comfortable pillow beneath her, the half-full and still cold beer in her hands. She breathed in, feeling once more the miles beneath her feet and the wind in her hair and the glow of secret fantasies in her deep brown eyes and the warm happiness of _living it a little_ in her heart.

"Maybe for a bit...", she answered, slowly.

Isaac and Scott twin smiles were blinding.

**Author's Note:**

> So? Thoughts?  
> I wondered if I should turn this into a series. I have lots of fun picturing in my head how all these developing relationships would bud, flourish and settle. Let me know what you think!
> 
> Also: tumblr (shatteeran.tumblr.com)! I'm always up for a chat!


End file.
